1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infant care products, and more specifically, it relates to an infant swaddle blanket.
2. Description of Related Art
Swaddling is an age-old technique utilized in many countries. It is the art of wrapping an infant in a blanket, snugly for warmth and security, leaving the infant with a sense of well being, as if the infant were still in the mother's womb. It has been experienced and observed by mothers and health care providers that this method of wrapping an infant is soothing and reduces crying, calming the infant and promoting needed sleep. This method also prevents the infant from being awakened by his own startle response, keeps the infant's temperature higher until his own internal thermostat develops and make it safer and easier for the mother to transport the infant, thereby reducing the risk of injury. Due to these multiple advantages, mothers are taught the skill of swaddling before they are sent home from the hospital. Overall, swaddling an infant correctly assists in the transition from the mother's secure, warm and snug womb to a new, colder, alien environment.
A mother with a newborn is typically exhausted from the delivery, increased workload, increased responsibilities and the decrease of valued sleep. Correct swaddling is a skill that requires patience, practice and time to learn. When a newborn cries or suffers colic, a mother's natural response is to quickly soothe and quiet her infant. Trying to swaddle the infant with a receiving blanket while he is crying can be frustrating. It is difficult and time consuming to achieve the desired tight bundle. Once the infant is swaddled, the blanket often quickly becomes loose or unraveled due to transporting the infant or by the infant's own movements. Some babies can turn on their stomachs increasing the risk of suffocation. Swaddling an infant encourages the parent to place the infant on it's back to sleep which helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Babies that are wrapped in a snug bundle promotes an increase in their emotional well-being as well as the emotional well-being of the parent as it decreases stress that comes from lack of sleep and stress that comes from being in a new environment (such as being outside the mother's womb).
There have been several unsuccessful attempts over many years to create a blanket wrap with the goal of eliminating the above-mentioned problems. Most of these wraps utilized added fasteners such as zippers, Velcro, snaps, pockets and buttons. Each of these fasteners presents problems. For example, the zipper cannot achieve the tightness needed for a secure feeling nor does it allow for needed size adjustments. Velcro is noisy and while attempting to adjust the blanket to infant's size for the needed tight fit, can awaken and startle a sleeping infant, contrary to the desirable aspects of the swaddle method. Velcro does not appear to wear well as infant blankets need frequent washings and Velcro attaching mechanism is reduced with time and use. Pockets are difficult to slide a limp infant into and when wrapped, smaller infants may not fit correctly into the pockets and larger infants may find the pockets restraining their feet. They also appear and function like a straight jacket. Buttons are difficult to fasten when a baby is squirming and crying and require excessive time. They also present a choking hazard to infants if swallowed. Snaps require the use of pressure against an infant's body and do not allow for accurate size adjustment or snug fit. They can also be noisy.
Another problem noted is that other attempts at creating a blanket wrap use too much fabric extension and make it necessary for a parent to roll the infant several times to make the blanket fit. Other blanket wraps use too little fabric, preventing their use for larger infants. Still other blanket wraps use a special cut design that conforms to the infant's body but may become unraveled resulting in baby kicking off the wrap, turning on their tummies and having a risk of suffocation.
Other attempts at creating a blanket wrap fail to use the traditional swaddle method and appearance and do not provide for the needed, extra snug fit around the infant's legs. Some infants want their arms in the blanket and others prefer their arms to be out, e.g., to allow them the additional comfort of sucking their thumb. Blanket wraps already created do not include the option for infants to keep their hands out of the blanket with ease while still allowing for blanket to stay snug.
Some blankets are not designed to conform around the shoulders, use an excessive amount of fabric, are uncomfortable and messy. Another problem noted is that some blankets do not have a slight hammock design that would allow for more space around the bottom and increase comfort. Another problem noted is that other blankets do not have added fabric around and behind the head and neck. The added fabric could increase the sense of security, increase comfort, increase cleanliness as the head does not rest directly on unprotected surfaces or other people's arms or clothing. Another problem noted is that other blanket wraps do not fit babies from premature size to larger sized infants, e.g., up to three months of age. Another problem noted is that other blankets may not use 100% cotton, which is lightweight and natural to prevent infants from overheating.
Receiving blankets require taught skill to achieve the swaddle method, become unraveled with infant movement or transport and are a challenge to swaddle when the infant is crying, which increases frustration for both the infant and the person attempting to swaddle the infant. Other infant wraps use fasteners and/or pockets. Other infant wraps are very expensive. Other infant wraps may require more than one piece. Other wraps have failed to achieve a design that can conform to an infant's body and allow a secure/snug fit without the use of fasteners or pockets. Other wraps do not allow for the option to have the infant's hands out of blanket. Other wraps do not allow for needed size adjustments without the use of added fasteners. Other wraps fail to have the traditional appearance and the traditional method of swaddling and look like straight jackets. Other wraps do not allow for a large variety in one-size fits all that include premature infants. Other wraps do not have added head and neck support. Other wraps are not designed to slightly hammock for increased comfort and appropriately fitting babies body for a non-bulky snug, secure wrap. Other wraps are not designed to taper around infant's shoulders.
There have been several attempts at creating a blanket wrap for infants. The process of swaddling an infant dates back hundreds of years. It is said that Romans, during the Roman Empire, swaddled their infants. Up to date, many attempts have been made to eliminate the problems that a simple rectangular blanket create, however, the attempts, as hopeful and promising as they seem, have failed to solve all of the problems, only touching one or two areas of concern. This is due to design, for it requires the elimination of excess folds, unraveling, loose fit, unsafe use of cords/ribbons, pockets and the use of inconvenient fasteners. The prior art is complicated, does not uniformly hug the infant, are not as fast and are expensive. Because of the expense, complicated design and failure to solve the problems that have been presented for hundreds of years, one fails to see a swaddle blanket sold regularly, as a needed accessory, for every infant, on the market when swaddling has been reported as an infant necessity and can relieve colic, reduce risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and improve the quality of life and emotional well-being of the infant and the parent. A new, affordable, simple and functional swaddle blanket that overcomes the problems presented by the prior art is desirable. The present invention provides such a swaddle blanket.